Nconsistent

The latest image does look closer to the real thing, though the 'fat' prysmatic windows are unlikely to capture the flush glazing of the original. Despite that, I will almost certainly go for one having commuted on it right up to its final days and repeatedly called for it on wishlists. I am not sure I can cope with the expense and storage of a prototypical pair, though. And I await the final overall height with a nervous eye on some of my shallower tunnel and bridge clearances.

The latest image does look closer to the real thing, though the 'fat' prysmatic windows are unlikely to capture the flush glazing of the original. Despite that, I will almost certainly go for one having travelled to school on it right up to its final days and repeatedly called for it on wishlists. I am not sure I can cope with the expense and storage of a prototypical pair, though. And I await the final overall height with a nervous eye on some of my shallower tunnel and bridge clearances.

Interesting project, which caught my eye as your map seems to have obliterated my mother's old house in Prior St, indeed the whole street is missing. Brand Street and Royal Hill are either side of where it still is, so it appears the map has managed what the Luftwaffe failed to do. How old is the map? The Greenwich Park line cutting went under Prior St and what I believe is a two-story railway building can be seen next to the allotment that has been established above the filled-in approach.

A couple of snaps from the Brighton line. Apologies for the quality!

Tempted by a green one. But my layout is roughly '60s south London. I know they worked out of Stratford, and I actually saw a Fragonset one at Selhurst depot, but were they ever seen south of the river on a regular or even sporadic basis?

Her talent was enormous and her generosity to fellow musicians made Fleetwood Mac. Watched the excellent documentary last night and learned a lot. The band was a truly magical combination in their glory days. Mick's genius was to keep them together for so long. RIP Songbird.

Thanks Jenny for the excellent video report. I am impressed by the model, though I will wait to see a finished sample before diving into the wallet. I think the key for me will be how much prismatic effect there is in the glazing, as this was one of the most flush-glazed curved window designs ever; it was pure schoolboy pleasure to sit upstairs, face pressed against the window to watch the Kidbrook tunnel roof flashing by right overhead. Bonus question; Do the wired interior carriage connectors have a close coupling function? The gap looks very good on the straight.

Back to the 4DD. Did anyone get some better pictures at Warley to settle the fishbelly question?

Thanks for these pics. I was not sure when the merrygoround coal trains to Northfleet started. It may well not have been early '70s, but the last pic does show a 47 in two tone green. It is not critical for me as my SE layout includes electric, late steam and lots of 33s, but I do have 47s in green and blue and a Bachmann 45 in green, so my church is broad depending on my mood. I was looking at the Heljan 45 but I would like some guidance on when the 45s ran into Kent and whether any had been spotted on this work. It would be good to get an appropriate version in the appropriate colour.

A bit off topic, but can anyone suggest which Peaks, version, names or numbers ventured into Kent with HAA coal trains for the Thameside cement works during the early to mid '60s? I have seen a picture of a 45 double-headed by a class 33, but cannot make out a number. Any pointers gratefully received.

Having studied the first pressing side view image, I realised that the pale line running across the guards van door windows is actually light creeping under the far side of the posed moulding, suggesting that the bottom of the power bogie section of the body is higher than the rest of the carriage so the 'fishbelly' may be there after all. I have no explanation for the head-on shot showing the cab front resting flat on the table surface, unless the driver body was tipped forwards to show that the cab section is shorter than the trailer car body. I agree that the cab front windows need work on the corner radii, but I am reserving judgement on the upstairs windows. They will need to be pictured with glass and paint applied to see if they look right. It is the critical aspect of this model I suspect.

Oops, I did not realise the windows were different on either side.

Thank you everyone for the comments and information. With all the variations revealed I am still left wondering if there isn't room for someone out there to produce a common 'Bachmann windows matching' non-driving trailer body shell with separate roof variations as an add-on component. No disrespect to Replica, but their windows don't match and their cab side window is oversize, I believe.

I have examined the Replica possibilities, but I too was put off by the fact that the profile is not a perfect match for the Bachmann models. The 3D experts solution is very attractive, though they might be surprised by the sudden rush of orders. I think there is probably plenty of pent-up demand out there.

It is a mystery. I saw an excellent cut and shut version on a layout at the Gillingham show and I have those 'wrong number' bodies and two 2EPBs, but I do not have the sawing, filling, glueing or painting skills to produce more than a passable dog's breakfast. I have a southern suburban layout and the 4EPB is the biggest missing item as you say, so maybe while I wouldn't stretch to a 4BEP or 4TC, I would probably stump up that sort of money for what I actually want/need.

I have a simple, if possibly naive, or previously aired question. Why has Bachmann never followed up their excellent 2EPB with a 4EPB, or ideally 1 or 2 trailing coach extension packs? I believe the 2EPB may have been a slow starter, but these days Bachmann is asking frankly monstrous prices for the same trains and second hand prices are still strong, so there is likely to be a solid base of potential customers willing to pay well for the extra coaches. Can anyone suggest what Bachmann's non-marketing logic is? And also, given the apparent ease with which small, niche producers can enter the market today, why doesn't someone else fill this obvious gap? I assume there won't be a copyright question if Bachmann has never actually produced them? Sorry. One question has turned into four, but I just don't get it.

As someone who rode the Double Decker to school for many years, I have always been a fan, waiting for someone to take the plunge with a RTR model. It was an experimental high capacity commuter train way ahead of its time but defeated by routing, clearance and maintenance restrictions. Was it the Concorde of the Southern? Despite its faults it had a very long service life and was fun to travel in unless you wanted to get on or off quickly, or insisted on breathing easily in the upstairs greenhouse in summer. Kudos to KR for taking up the challenge, I think they can make a success of it provided they get the mostly flat sides and roof curvature right and especially those curved flush frameless windows that were such a feature of the upstairs. Could printing colour onto a clear body moulding be a solution? For me, they really must avoid the 'prism glass' look that put me off Hornby's recent short Bulleid coaches, for example. I anticipate this model with enthusiasm. But I will probably have to 'review' all those tight tunnel, bridge and platform clearances I have so carefully created on my South London layout as it is not a facsimile of the Bexleyheath Line to Dartford.

I wanted to go down this route, but the 21>8 pin converter I used is too tall. May I ask what c9nverter you have fitted?

I have been planning to add a 45 for my mid to late '60s BR southern layout to haul my HAA coal train bound for the cement works at Cliffe. I have seen images of them working through Kent, sometimes piloted by a 33, IIRC, but have no idea about which numbers or named engines definitely did this work. Personally I would prefer pretops green with split headcodes, but if anyone has more info the Heljan does look good.

Belated thanks for this tip, I've only just got round to finding it.

I didn’t buy a Dapol 73 when they were released, because it seemed a high price to pay given the apparent faults. Despite that the second hand prices have held up, so I have only recently taken the plunge for a collector’s club green one bought from Dapol at Warley for £80. As predicted, it ran like a pig and bits fell off daily. Despite being an inexpert solderer I have managed to rewire the circuit board to correct the directional lighting and added extra pickups following the expert tips on this forum. I have reglued the various dislodged bogie and electrical pipes and now I have a fine-running, extremely well-detailed 73, which I am now putting through the weathering process. The one remaining glaring fault is the oval buffers, two of which fell out during my manhandling. Can anyone suggest a source for replacement round buffers, preferably ones which will slot into the existing sprung mechanism? My apologies if the buffer issue has been touched on before, but to be honest I am loath to go through all 1800 ‘contributions’ to this subject again, to find it. Someone astutely pointed out a while back that finding useful, positive information is being made difficult by the tsunami of repetitive criticism which the Dapol 73 has attracted. That person also suggested that the thread be split between one for those of us interested in positive solutions to make this fine-looking model perform as well as it should, and those who wish to repetitively complain about known problems. What a good idea! This forum offers a wealth of very useful information that has helped me improve my skills, fix problems and thus get much more satisfaction from the hobby. Unfortunately, the RMweb platform is increasingly being clogged by me-too complainers, axe grinders, self-righteous victims, and various sub-species of troll, all of whose incontinent whining lessens the enjoyment of those of seeking to improve our knowledge and share our enjoyment of the subject. Now, about those buffers...

Had an excellent day yesterday after an annoying start. I was travelling from abroad so booked my travel arrangements online, NEC discount Pendolino from London timed to arrive just before the early opening. Then went to the Warley site to book my show ticket, paid for it then realised there was no download facility. So I ended up queuing at the collections desk, having first been misdirected into the cash buyer’s line. The nice NEC lady apologised, but the final result was I lost most of the half hour early entry, and was £2 down before I even got in the door, having been charged a ‘facility fee’ by The Ticket Factory for booking online. The volunteers of the Warley club do a fantastic job organising this huge show, but no download tickets in this day and age, is not really acceptable. Whine over. Some marvellous layouts, well positioned by subject/gauge, great trade selection and despite the false start, I managed to ‘recoup’ most of my costs by ’investing’ in a couple of bargain locos and a raft of bits and pieces for my thoughtfully modest rucksack.

Thank you Bryan, I will try give it a go.

I received my pre-ordered BR late crest 31518 on release and put a Hattons 8-pin direct chip in it, ran it around the track for a few minutes and have not really touched it till a week ago. Unfortunately, it is now behaving erratically, setting off in a controlled manner, but then after a few seconds, refusing to accelerate beyong mid speed even up to speed step 28. It is the same in both directions with or without the body. It also takes a few seconds to stop after the throttle returns to zero on my Powercab. There is also a faint buzzing sound. All pickups are working well and it is properly lubed, though I haven’t been into the gear tower. Hattons suggest that it may be because it is not running a Hornby chip, which I don’t have. So, can anyone suggest any cv changes that could help with the Hattons chip, or should I send it back? I love the engine and given the apparent lack of exchange stock and the fact that I am abroad, I would rather try a fix if it possible.

I have no need for a 92 on my layout, but I am considering diving in for one purely to support Dave Jones. DJM is a fledgling company in competition with established multi-nationals and as such, vulnerable to being crushed at any time. I do this as a serial supporter of the underdog and also as the former owner of a similar type of business, which went on to succeed by being smaller, faster-moving and more innovative, but only after surviving the launch of products by better resourced competitors designed, in part, to kill us. I don't know Dave, other than through RMWeb, but it is clear to me that the energy, skill and no small amount of courage he has shown deserve success - and our support, for with the models he is bringing to the hobby, he is benefitting us all. I don't often contribute to these pages, preferring to lurk and enjoy the expertise of other modellers and the wonderful information RMweb delivers. I also signed up a yellow J94 (also useless for my SR layout) as a gesture of support for all that Andy Y has achieved. I decided to chime in today, because I am exasperated by the attitude of some of the 'contributors' so far. Dave Jones, having (probably) put up his house in pursuit of his dream, worked untold hours and circled the globe to try and make it all come together, is rewarded by being accused of various forms of dishonesty by armchair-bound critics who seem to regard the thought of him making money out of 'his business' as distasteful and not 'social' enough. WE have no right to complain: Exclusive 92 models are being offered at a discounted price. If enough people fancy one, you get your model. You potentially risk a £30 deposit. After that, you can buy as many different, non-exclusive 92 models as you want, but at a higher market price. Your original limited edition model meanwhile might be worth more than you paid for it, on eBay. Where are we being cheated here? WE need to see the bigger picture. If DJM makes money and grows, we get more toy trains to play with. One day, I hope, Dave Jones will have no choice but to make the Double Decker...though by that time I may have to worry about that sputtering Sun.